Kizuna
by Won Wen
Summary: Escape from the monotonous world. Become a different person. Join Second Life. OCs.
1. Chapter 1- Prologue

"Outside, outside, outside!"

"Got it!"

I approached the net as the setter set an impeccably perfect set towards me. The practice game was going perfectly and one last point will settle this match. I jumped—Suddenly, a meteor of unimaginable weight hit me and latched on. The ball dropped on the court.

"Argh! What the hell?" I screamed angrily as I futilely tried to remove the insufferable Thing from my back.

"XueXue…," the Thing purred, "Why are you sooo late? I've been waiting since forever…"

I glared at the Thing as it smiled sheepishly; I was hoping to burn a hole through its annoying thick head. I seem to be doing that lately but no matter what I do, Jin XiYun just seems to be immune to common sense.

All around, I hear my teammates groan in frustration. It had been a long day and we were all exhausted. One last point would've released us all from practice.

"Jin XiYun! We know that you're insanely in love with Xue, but please refrain from molesting our ace when we're practicing," my captain stated exasperatedly, "Not to mention that you also destroyed a perfect set." Her set had been beautiful, the best we've seen today, and she does not appreciate _anyone _killing her sets. Tough luck.

"I'm not in love with Xue! She's my best friend for god's sake!" Yun pouted, "Besides—"

Before Yun could finish, he was already sprawled face first on the ground as a innocent tennis ball rolled away from him.

"Damn right you're not," a deep and resonating voice came up from behind me said.

I smirked to myself. _Ah, he's here._

Yun looked up fearfully at the looming figure behind me and recoiled.

"Stop harassing my sister," My twin brother growled menacingly. He then proceeded to pull me towards him and wrapped a protective arm around me. Squeals could be heard from my teammates all around the court. I even heard some hollers from the perverts who watch every single girls' volleyball team practices from the bleachers.

I rolled by eyes but gave an appreciative glance at my brother as Yun whimpered in a corner.

"Xue, is your practice over?" My brother asked and he threw his jersey over me.

I looked at my coach and she gave a nod. My brother took no time to drag me out of the gym after grabbing my gym bag and his tennis bag. I gave a quick nod to my teammates and coach, not paying any attention to my depressed friend in the corner. As we walked out the gym, my teammates (and coach) giggled about something that sounded suspiciously like 'twincest'.

As we walked in sync in the hallways, I stole glances at my brother. It's no wonder that the girls, even some boys and teachers, adore him. My older twin by 9 minutes, Lee DongJun, is one of the "Flower Boys" of our university campus. The most famous member of this unofficial group is, of course, our Chinese Literature professor, Min GuiWen but since he is rumoured to be homosexual, most fangirls just settle for staring at his face. My brother, on the other hand, is currently single and the target of 99.99% of the female beasts at our campus. To most girls, he is the "perfect prince charming". With his sharp features, fair skin, and "electrifying" eyes, as his oh-so-in-love-with-Jun fans call them, who wouldn't fall for him? He is also the star of the tennis team and currently places first in his Business course. But what keep the fangirls attached are two things. First, his apathetic aura when dealing with such people. Sure, he's polite and all, but he also gives off his signature "flirt-all-you-want-but-I-won't-care" vibe. The second, to my dismay, is food for the fans. The fangirls get their daily dosage of "Junism" from one thing: Taipei University's Twincest.

As you can see, Jun is _very_ protective of me. If he finds out that a guy deemed unworthy by him shows interest in me, he will literally and very efficiently kill that person. So far, only one guy is stupid enough to keep provoking him. Most of them usually back off after a near death experiences with falling flowerpots and unexplainable bruises. Of course, Yun doesn't love me that way; he's just a very stupid and idiotic friend but Jun doesn't seem to understand his playful clingy-ness.

Now that I think about it, not many have tried to approach me after the first couple of incidents. Some boys do try to grab my attention though. I suppose that they're trying to get closer to Jun through me. But it's strange; Jun will generally be friends with you as long as you don't grope him every time you're near him. Besides, they don't need to give me flowers and chocolates when they do pull such tricks. Doing so won't make you closer to Jun but have him hate you more instead.

"Xue, did you not hear what I asked?"

Jun's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at him and smiled.

"Nope. I was just thinking about you and your highly amusing fangirls. So, what were you asking?" I continued to smile.

Jun gave a shudder. The only things in the world that scares the great "Jun-sama" are fangirls.

"Xue, please don't remind me of them. Today, another back up player handed in his resignation form because his girlfriend broke up with him for me. I don't even know who she is," he sighed, "And I was asking what you want for dinner."

I mused. That was the third one this month. His record had been five within the first two weeks we arrived at the University. During that month, a total of seven girls broke up with their boyfriends to join his fanclub.

"That's the third one this month."

He grimaced.

"You're losing your touch."

He raised his brows.

"I would rather keep my team members and the respect of the male population than keep my 'touch'."

"You know, many would want your face and body. You should be grateful."

"Speak for yourself," Jun muttered.

I laughed.

"How can I be compared to you? Honestly Jun, you don't have to make me feel better."

He again raised his eyebrows and sighed while shaking his head.

"Never mind. You'll understand one day. So, what do you want for dinner again?"

"Omurice. And we have some leftover side dishes and vegetable from yesterday."

"Sure. I was thinking about the same."

"_About the same?_ My dear brother, you are losing your touch." I laughed as we continued to walk home.


	2. Chapter 2

_Saa…Saa…Saa…_

I stared out the window at the dreary grey sky. _What nice weather. There won't be many pedestrians on the streets._

I looked around me: teacher talking, boring; student listening, boring; student not listening, boring; Yun sleeping, boring. I sighed. Why is everyday so monotonous? I heaved sigh.

"LEE XUE! Please read out what you have written for homework!" The teacher hollered in my ear.

I turned around and stared blankly at the teacher. Slowly, I pulled my notebook from my bag, flipped it opened and scanned my work. "The novel of 1984 displays the recurrent theme of betrayal as…Betrayal is reflected as something that is an integral part of society, regardless of the individual. In the end, we cannot help but deceive even those closest to us when our self interest is at stake."

As I finished, the whole class gawked at me.

"WOOHOO! XueXue, that was beautiful!" An obnoxiously loud voice yelled from behind me.

"I told you to stop calling me XueXue," I growled. The whole class started giggling. I swept a cold glare at them.

"Xue-ah, that _was_good. An overseas student's level is different. But still, please refrain from sleeping in class," the teacher smiled.

I didn't answer him and instead turned towards the window again.

"Hey! LEE XUE! DON'T IGNORE YOUR TEACHER!"

The whole class started laughing, again.

* * *

After volleyball practice, I headed home. Luckily, Jun had to go back early to buy grocery; otherwise I would have had to deal with a fainting coach and squealing teammates again. Honestly, can they not muster up _some _form of pride or control when they see him? Yun also said he had some things to deal with so he, thank heavens, didn't come harass me.

Walking out of the campus, I gave a nod of acknowledgement to some professors and students as it started to drizzle. Pulling out my umbrella, I made my way home.

I love walking in the rain - the smell of rain mixed in with the steamy flavours from the roadside stalls and the steady, comforting patter of water droplets on my umbrella was in a way, calming.

"XueXue, see you tomorrow!" Some tennis team members called out while cleaning up after practice.

I only gave them an annoyed scowl and continued to walk. I heard their laughs from behind me.

XueXue. It's so childish. But my moronic best friend just has to annoy the daylights out of me every single day by calling me that. The whole campus now knows me as "XueXue" and it has only been 2 months into the semester.

Jun and I came to Taipei after finishing high school in New York. We could've gone to the Ivy Leagues but our family decided that my brother, Lee Dong Jun, and I should go back to Taipei instead. We're both 19, though he's older than me by several minutes. But after we landed, our parents unceremoniously informed us that we're going to be living alone. How typical. Our father is the CEO of a renowned company that dabs a little in everything: hotels, trade, medical institutions… you name it. Our mother is a renowned fashion designer and claims that she could only work with Father by her side. But even though our lives are pretty comfortable, there isn't much dynamic. Everything's just _there._ Most people would probably desire this life, but what is life without any obstacles or excitement?

Don't get us wrong, we love our lives; however, Jun and I both feel at times, our lives are too uneventful.

* * *

When I got back home, Jun was already halfway done making dinner.

Jun and I grew up relying on just each other since there was no one else we could rely on, not our parents, not the butlers or maids, and definitely not the nannies, or as we liked to call them, spies, that our parents pushed upon us. At the beginning, we occasionally travelled with our parents, but when the business expanded and the company's headquarters were established in Taipei, with branches in Tokyo, and New York we've stopped moving around as much. For elementary school, Jun and I alternated living in Taipei and Tokyo, frequently visiting New York during the holidays. Our parents were, I guess you could say, _very_ much considerate about our familial experiences and establishing warm filial relationships, seeing how they've practically left us alone for most of our lives. However, they are quite stern on morals and etiquette, with Mother constantly fretting over our manners and behaviours and Father lecturing us on gratitude and respect. Often, though, whatever we wanted, we got. They didn't want to spoil us _too much_, so when it was decided that Jun and I will live alone in Taipei, they bought an outrageously large, not to mention, luxurious apartment penthouse for us instead of having us live at the main house with all the maids and stuff.

I walked into the kitchen and asked Jun if he needed any help. But strangely, he started shaking his head frantically while shooing me out the kitchen. It's always the same; he never lets me in the kitchen at all.

I shrugged and went to the living room and was about to turn on the TV when something caught my eye: a colourful, eye-blinding box lying beside Jun's bag. I walked over and picked it up. I ripped the disgusting wrapping paper off and found a curious looking box. The label of the box read _Second Life_. I've heard the rumours buzzing around at campus about this _Second Life._ Apparently it was some hot new game that everyone has been waiting for. I wonder why Jun has it. I turned the box over only to discover a horrifyingly lipstick-ed card stuck to the other side.

_Deareset Jun-sama,_

_This is for you, my love. My daddy has some connections to the maker of Second Life so he gave me couple of copies. The game isn't out yet, but I would like to give this to you as a token of my undying, loyal, unwavering love for you. Also, I understand that if we started going out in real life, your crazy fangirls would get mad, so we can get married in Second Life instead~_

_Love you forever, An Wei Lan~_

I stared at the card in disgust. What's with this confession? I rechecked the sender's name. Seriously? An Wei Lan? She's been hitting on Jun since middle school. Sure, she's rich and pretty, probably with her daddy's money, but does she seriously think that my brother would fall for her bribes? She seriously is delusional. My brother dating and even marrying her? What was she thinking?

But on the other hand, the game does sound somewhat interesting.

"Xue, dinner's ready!" I suddenly hear Jun call from the kitchen. I dropped the box on the couch and headed over to the petite kitchen table.

"Hey, Jun, why did An Wei Lan give you Second Life?" I asked him as I warily eyed the disturbing ketchup heart on my omurice, giving him a scowl.

Jun only gave me a sly grin and resumed eating.

"An Wei Lan?" I repeated, rather amused by his selective hearing.

He looked up blankly and pondered for a moment. I rolled my eyes.

"An Wei Lan, An Wei Lan. Oh, her. She said something about something being 'filled with her love' and 'since middle school', but I'm actually not quite sure why," Jun said as he 'tried' to recall the conversation.

I nodded knowingly. He knows perfectly well when someone's hitting on him and knows who that person is, but as always, he ignores it.

"Do you want it? I already have one. Mother sent it. Correction, she sent two, but I 'gave' one to Yang Ming after An Wei Lan gave me this."

I smirked. He probably made Yang Ming guard the Student Council Room for a month. After the elections a week ago and Jun became the Student Council Representative for the freshmen, there has been an exceedingly greater influx of students who wait outside the Office to submit completely trivial claims to the Council. Who knows whom he'll torture next if I don't accept?

I nodded, indicating that I did, in fact, want it. _It might be more interesting than those boring RPGs._

"Oh, Xue-ah, she said that there's something special about that copy she gave me."

Such a nice brother.

* * *

We both didn't have much work to do since Jun, being Jun, already memorized everything, and I, well, had no intention to do some in-depth study on English Lit. and I've already completed the research paper on a haute couture designer. I take English as a minor and Fashion Design as a Major. Jun takes Psychology as a minor and Business and Economics as his majors. So, with nothing to do, I suggested that we try Second Life. I put on the headset and was about to connect to the server when Jun insisted on holding my hand 'in case I got lost'. But seriously, where can I get lost to? I looked at him queerly, but decided not to care. He took my hand as darkness clouded over our vision…

Several seconds later, Jun gave a hand a slight squeeze and I opened my eyes. The space around us was pitch black. I lifted my arms to find a wall or something but was unable to for Jun was still holding on to my hand quite firmly.

"Jun, where are we?" I asked.

But before he even had a chance to reply, a blinding flash of light lit up the whole room.

"Greetings, Miss Lee Xue and Mr. Lee Dong Jun. Welcome to Second Life. I'm Rain, a GM," a voice echoed.

I glanced around trying to locate the origin of the voice. Jun looked at me as if I was stupid and directed his sight upwards. I followed his gaze and found a strange looking, not to mention unnaturally beautiful, lady floating on a hovering platform.

"As I've said, Miss Lee, welcome to Second Life. I've already scanned your profiles so you are free to create your characters now. Before you start though, you should probably know that once the character is created it cannot be altered. Also, the stats are chosen randomly."

"Why?" I scoffed. That's just absurd. What if you weren't satisfied with your looks or stats?

"Miss Lee, the whole point of Second Life is to let the players experience a 'second life'. It is meant to have 99.9% realness. In order to create that, we cannot let players change their looks. The character is supposed to look like you," She explained, "Furthermore, luck plays a large part in life as well. So if you get unsatisfactory stats, well, too bad."

I scoffed.

"Miss Rain, how do you know our names?" Jun questioned.

She laughed, no, giggled, as she batted her eyelashes at Jun. "Ms. An Wei Lan and your mother, Mrs. Lee, have informed us of you two. But I wasn't expecting both of you to come together, nor for one of you to be so handsome."

We smiled a 'say-that-again-and-we'll-kill-you' smile. To our delight, she immediately stopped ogling Jun and gave a nervous laugh.

So I guess besides the fact that we get to play the game a couple of days before everyone else, we also get special treatment because our 'sponsors' are influential. Not bad.

"By the way, where's the other set that your mother sent you?"

"I gave it to a friend," Jun replied offhandedly.

"I'll inform the higher ups about this."

"Can we start with the characters now?" I asked impatiently, as I was eager to leave this soon-to-be fangirl. Besides, I've come here to play, not to discuss the whereabouts of a headset.

Rain pointedly glared at me but proceeded to guide us through the process.

She asked who wanted to go first, and being the eldest, and therefore more responsible, Jun volunteered.

"Okay. Which race would you like? Human? Elf? Dark Elf? Celestial? Elementals? Dwarf? Beast? Plant? Beasts can be divided into pigs, chickens, slugs etc. and Plants can be divided into-"

"Um…I'll just go with elf…" Jun replied hesitantly.

I was trying really hard to keep my laughter in. Who wants to be a slug? And what's with all these variety of choices? I seriously can't imagine Jun as a chicken running around town while trying to keep the players from me.

"All right. What about the hair?"

Blue, I thought to myself.

"Blue."

Of course. It's his favourite colour. Jun once considered dyeing his hair blue, but our parents were strictly against that, saying it was bad for our family reputations.

"Eyes?"

"Blue. Skin: pale. And 30% beautify."

I gave him a long stare. Did he memorize the process from the manual in such a short amount of time? I mean, he had only taken a brief glance.

Before I could think anymore about my alien brother, I heard the sound of water dripping. I snapped out of thoughts to see Rain drooling while staring at my brother's avatar.

That is seriously disgusting. Lady, what's so hot about my brother? I guess I'm used to him after 19 years, but what could a 30% increase of beauty do to him? He's already gorgeous.

As I was about to look at my 'brother', I see my actual brother blushing. No way. God, what's wrong with these people? One's a pervert and the other's a narcissist. Curiously, I turn to look at the actual avatar, and I take back all I said.

He's hot. Like seriously hot. Though there weren't any significant changes, the changes that actually had taken place were stunning. A wave of dark blue hair cascaded down his back, contrasting nicely with his pale skin and perfectly complimenting his facial structure and built. His physique was well toned thanks to the years of intense tennis: slender core with strong arms and long legs. But the most startling part is the face. A flawless face with perfect angles was further accentuated by a set of 'electrifying' dark blue eyes, pair of elfin ears, a slightly sharper nose, and paler lips. His eyes had the familiar warmth in them when he met mine and he still looked like Jun, just more regal and outlandish.

When I finished 'analyzing' my fake brother, the real one, evidently embarrassed, cleared his throat and asked the dazed GM to start on my character. I quickly turned my attention to Rain and looked at her expectantly. She raised an eyebrow and told me to start.

Suddenly, I recalled the conversation at dinner. Didn't Jun say that there was something special about my Second Life?

"Wait, Rain-jie, is there something more special about my Second Life?" I asked.

She grimaced. "Before I answer that, I have a point to make: don't call me 'Rain-jie'. It makes me feel old. Just 'Rain' would suffice. And to answer your question, yes, there is. I seem to have forgotten to mention that at the beginning. I was so used to saying the monotonous welcoming speech and prescribed answers they provided for us. Actually, both of you get the special privilege of changing your character from the norm, whether it is choosing your stats, becoming a GM, or an increase in wealth. So, what do you want?"

Jun and I both stared at her in disbelief. Such an important thing and she tells us now? She was probably too preoccupied with ogling my brother to notice.

Pushing that thought aside, for it really wasn't that atypical, I thought for a moment. There was not point in following any of her suggestions since they could be attained in the game. Being a GM restricts our actions somewhat as well. I smirked, knowing exactly what I wanted.

"Say, Rain, can I become a guy? An elf too, while you're at it."

Silence ensued.

"What?!" Jun and Rain both looked at me, dumbfounded.

"Y-y-you want to be a _t-t-transsexual elf_? You have one wish and you want to be a _t-t-t-transsexual e-e-elf_?" Rain sputtered out.

Jun gave me a questioning look but I knew he would soon understand why. I can already see the gears turning in his head. Then, it clicked.

"Sure. Why not? I don't want my darling sister to get mobbed by filthy guys," he mockingly smirked.

I glared at him, that idiot. Heaving a sigh, he continued, "Besides, it should be entertaining." I smiled, satisfied.

Rain glanced at me, "You sure?"

I nodded.

"OK then."

She spoke into her microphone for a while and suddenly, a white blinding light engulfed my avatar.

* * *

**I am so sorry. I hadn't meant to upload this so late but school was so hectic. I'll hopefully be uploading more soon. Again, sorry. Thank you as well for those who have continued to support me.**

**-won**


	3. Chapter 3

They're dead. Even Jun. I surveyed the room: Rain had fallen from her high-and-mighty chair and was currently lying in a pool of blood while Jun had collapsed from shock and blood-loss. Serves those bastards right.

I guess I am to blame for this, indirectly anyways, I think as I recall the events from about 20 minutes ago...

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Tears were streaming from Jun and Rain's eyes. I scowled at them. That stupid old lady, I will kill her, GM or not.

"Mei-mei, I wish you-AHAHA- luck-AHAHA- in the game," Jun sputtered out, trying to calm himself, "Hon-AHAHA-estly, it just looks like some-hehe-one chopped off your head and glued it on to some gym junkie's body. Pfft-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Glad you noticed…," I grumbled and shot a deadly glare up to the giggling GM, "CHANGE ME NOW."

She quickly stifled her laughs with a terrified look and got to work immediately. Shortly after, I looked at least _passable_, quite good looking actually. Still unsatisfied, I asked for beautification, a mop of messy black hair, and sharp black eyes, following the 'family genes'...

Scowling, I looked at the scene before me once again, which strikingly resembled a homicide case. I have a dead perverted GM and a lifeless egomaniac that had exhibited quite the interest in incest and homosexuality. But I have to admit, if I didn't know that the 'me' there is actually the male form of the 'me' here, I, too, would have ended up like those stupid perverts.

As I had wanted, I got the 30% beautification, tussled coal hair, and piercing black eyes but, everything was taken to a whole new level. Honestly, I think it's because I share similar genes with Jun that I could look like this. There is no way I would ever look this good as a guy. A mop of unkempt silky black hair reached just above glowing broad white shoulders set on a solid body structure. I wasn't a body builder like before but I didn't look sickeningly thin to the point of borderline stickman either. It was a mixture of both: slender and well-built but still slightly leaning to the skinnier side for the whole bishounen effect. Above was an unbelievably small face carved with impossibly meticulous care. The onyx eyes I had asked for was yet again, taken to the extreme: deep cold eyes accented by thick dark lashes stood out against the pale skin tone, creating a distant and forlorn expression. A regal pointed nose was just above a pair of lightly tinted frowning lips. Wait a moment. _Frowning_? _Distant and forlorn? _Oh god. Don't tell me –

"Yup! Your concept is officially the cold and merciless beauty who is accompanied by an elegant and gallant twin brother. Both of you shall advertise your brotherly love," An annoying cackle screeched out from the dead. "How do you like it?"

"I thought you were dead," I seethed, "And I HATE it."

Whipping my head around, I glared at Rain with the 'cold and merciless' glare I was to develop for my character.

"I guess no?" She squeaked out, nervously laughing.

I gave her a sweet grin, dipped in poisoned honey. She backed away slowly as I approached her.

"I'll keep the look but it is up to myself to decide on my personality. Have I made myself clear?" I continued to smile, my face inches from hers.

She frantically nodded and avoided looking at my face altogether.

* * *

After deciding that blood transfusion was much too troublesome, we concluded that we shall wait for Jun to reincarnate. I used the time to question Rain about the game, the rules etc. After a while I got bored and decided to come up with a name for my character. Several crossed my mind, but none seemed to fit quite well. In the end, I settled for 'Ace'. I am the ace of the volleyball team, not to sound pompous of course, and I fully recognize that being an ace is hard, especially when the pressure becomes too much to handle. People will look up to you, expecting that you are perfect, flawless. It is a hard blow when people look at you with scorn if you don't meet their expectations, especially in something that you've put so much dedication and passion into. Plus, since I have such a perfect face and body, or rather the character does, I figured that only such a haughty name could do this beauty justice, and heck, it was a hell lot better that the 'Hotter-than-Hell', 'Casanova', 'Rain's Man' kind of names that Rain suggested. I wanted simplicity, so Ace it was.

When the egomaniac finally decided to return from the dead, I had already had to restrain Rain to prevent her from taking advantage of my twin during his vulnerable state. I'm used to girls throwing themselves at him, like literally throwing, at him, but this lady takes it to a whole new dimension. For god's sake, she tried to strip him and everything while I was there.

"Nice to see that you've finally come back from hell." I said, releasing my hold on Rain. "You were in perilous danger, you know."

Jun casted a hesitant look at Rain and quickly backed away from her.

"Anyways, choose a name. I already have one."

Jun gave me a questioning glance.

"Ace."

He nodded and smiled. I knew he understood.

"Good choice, mei-mei, good choice. Well, to follow your logic, then I guess mine will be 'Winter'," he decided ruefully after a few minutes.

I sighed, knowing full well the implications behind that name. One reason was that the second character in Jun's name is '東'. It actually means 'east' but the word is a homonym of '冬', meaning 'winter', and we were born in the colder months of the year. Another reason was because as a child, Jun had always been cold towards the children around us: boys for trying to get close to me for god-knows-what reasons and the girls for trying to get close to him simply because he's cute. Some teachers and other adults had the audacity to suck up to us, hoping to benefit from our affluent family. They thought we didn't notice it, but we weren't proven geniuses for nothing. I guess we didn't know how to deal with these situations so we ignored them and chose to keep a distance from the others. Soon enough, the kids became intimidated by our hostility and nicknamed Jun 'DongDong' and me 'XueXue', both insinuating coldness and aloofness. Even the adults and teachers called us the "Ice Twins" behind our backs.

Nevertheless, 'Winter' would be good a suitable name that matches the untouchable aura his character and he himself carry.

"Jun, you still haven't mentioned anything about your wish," Rain told him after our unusual character selection period.

Jun shook his head slightly, "Just give it to the first person who logs in. I don't care."

"WHAT?!"

"Didn't you hear me the first time? I said 'Just—'"

"I heard you the first time!" Rain interrupted, looking at him in disbelief, "But are you sure?"

"Mhm."

"Okayyy…"

"One more thing, do you guys want to be born in the North, East, South, West, or the Central region?"

"Does it matter? What's with all these choices? This is so troublesome."

"Xue," Jun gave me a warning.

"It is though," I returned with a pout. "Not everyone has patience like you."

He sighed and gave an apologetic look at Rain, who immediately blushed.

"Whatever. I'm sorry, but I don't really care," I rolled my eyes and looked away from yet another one of Jun's 'stop-with-the-bratty-attitude' stares.

"You are so rude but because of Jun, I'll overlook it this time. As for the location, Central it is then, since I'm usually there," She decided for us.

"Whatever," I said offhandedly as yet another blinding white light blasted out from nowhere and engulfed the two of us.

"Don't forget to PM me! Bye, pretty boys." She drawled.

We shivered.

* * *

We're here. We're finally here, in Second Life. This is the game where there's a 99.99% reality guarantee. I could hear the birds chirping, see the clouds floating by, and feel the slight breeze in the air.

"Sweet. I can't believe we have it all to ourselves for a few days! Everything's so real," I whistled.

"Xue," Jun started.

I still didn't want to face him but I gave a nod, signalling him to continue.

"Why were you so rude to Rain when she was just doing her job?" He demanded, "I know you are normally blunt, even worse than I am, but what's with you this time? I thought I taught you better than that."

I snarled and shot back, "She was hitting on you like crazy. For god's sake, she tried to molest you right in front of me when you were knocked out. What do you expect me to do? Give her a hug and say congratulations, you've earned my everlasting gratitude for being the creepiest fangirl I've ever met?"

He became rigid and immediately had a regretful expression.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know," Jun gave me a hug after a moment of silence, "Just don't be so rude next time. Let me know afterwards, ok?"

"Sorry."

He smiled. He knew that I was as sensitive as he was regarding such topics.

"Well, on a brighter note, we're finally here."

"Mhm. What shall we do?" I asked as I grinned.

"Let's check our stats first, then we'll go around and check the place out because I'm pretty sure that there's more to Second Life than trees, trees, and trees. And then we'll see if we can make things more, let's say, eventful for the first few lucky players."

I smiled. That's practical, seeing how we are stranded in the middle of a forest in the capital of Nowhere. And of course, we should create a memorable experience for those, let's say, _lucky_ people. But first, stats.

"Uh…Jun?"

"Yeah?"

"How do we check our stats?"

"…"

"…"

"ADVICE FOR NEWBIES: TO VIEW YOUR STATISTICS, SAY THE WORD 'SYSTEM'!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I yelped, "WHAT IS WITH THIS GAME'S TENDENCY TO RANDOMLY SPEW OUT RANDOM VOICES?!"

"You know, I highly doubt that yelling at it would make a difference. Let's just check our stats," Jun stated matter-of-factly.

"Shut up."

Jun gave me pathetic attempt of a hurt look and then proceeded to open my stats.

"Woah. Xu—I mean, Ace, somebody must hate you…"

I temporarily stopped planning the voice's demise as I looked up to see what Jun was talking about. I stared at the holographic screen in disbelief. _What the hell?_

Name: Ace

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Race: Elf

Job: N/A

Fame: 0

Health: 100

Strength: 3

Stamina: 3

Speed: 5

Intelligence: 9

Spirit: 1

Wisdom: 5

Charisma: 10

Luck: 9

Special Skills: N/A

Experience: 0

I narrowed my eyes. Seriously? _Speed: 5_, _Wisdom: 5, Strength: 3_, _Stamina: 3_, _SPIRIT: 1_, AND _FAME: 0_. If my luck was so high, why do I have such unlucky stats? Well, at least I'm not lacking in the smarts or charms sectors. As for the others, I mentally cursed whoever decided on the stats.

Jun was still staring at the screen, not able to believe my unbelievably bad luck.

"Will you please stop gawking at my stats? I'll ignore you for a whole day if you look once more at my stats," I smiled menacingly at him.

In record time, he managed to pry his eyes off of the screen, yell 'System', and cling on to my arm as if his life depended on it.

Ignoring my annoying brother, I dragged myself and a deadweight to get closer to the screen. However, before I had a chance to read his stats, a low rumbling noise came from underground and the forest floor began to crack. Slowly, due to my less-than-satisfactory speed, I made my way, while still dragging the wailing Jun, to a safer place.

To further prove that she hates me, fate decided to aggravate my dilemma. I stared in horror as many little ugly _blobs_ erupted from the ground and rained down, bouncing towards us in all directions.

Oh god. What do I do? What do I do? What CAN I do with useless stats like these? Maybe with my luck, I'll be able to escape. I grimaced. We're less than half an hour into the game and I'm going to die because of goopy bubbles and stupid stats. And thanks to the unreasonably high HP I've been given, it'll be a slow and painful death. Just my luck.

I was preparing for my imminent death when I realized that Jun was gone. Bastard. Way to abandon your helpless little sister while you go and save your pretty little ass. So much for the brotherly love. I'll deal with him later after I respawn. I closed my eyes; at least I won't have to watch goopy bubbles rip me to pieces.

Except that never happened.

I waited and waited and waited. All I heard were multiple sickening sounds of _squish squish squish_. Cautiously, I cracked one eye open and found a pair of dark blue eyes right in my face.

Unable to even scream, I fell backwards and passed out.

* * *

_SPLAT. THWAP. SPLAT._

"Shut up…"

_SPLAT. THWAP. SPLAT. _

"Shut up..."

_SPLAT. THWAP. SPLAT. _

"I said shut the f—"

"Why are you so hard to kill?"

"SHUT UP! WILL YOU PLEASE KEEP IT DOWN?! I HAVE A HUGE MIGRAINE RIGHT NOW AND YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" I screamed angrily in the general direction of the noises.

I blinked. Is that _Jun_ who is currently wielding a fancy stick while standing frozen next to an equally frozen yet somewhat dangerous looking furry thing?

"_SYSTEM NOTICE: PLAYER ACE HAS NOW LEARNED THE ATTACK 'RAGE'. FURRY BEAST: -10 HP."_

"Rawr?" The beast questioned softly.

"Die." Jun threw a white flash at the beast and it immediately turned into a beam and dissipated.

Walking towards me, Jun gave an exasperated sigh, "Leave it to you to learn such a dumb attack."

I gave him a glare and was about to retaliate but I saw his outfit. Taking in his clothes, which were stark contrasts to his previous and my current plain garb, I raised my eyebrows.

"Where did you get those gears?"

"While you were busy sleeping off your shock, I killed some monsters and bought stuff with the gold I had. Now I'm a mage."

"Then you killed the…?"

"The goopy bubbles? Yeah, but that was just with a branch I found. Oh, and I bought these for you."

Smirking, he threw a package at me and turned around.

Ripping open the package, I pulled out a blood-red sleeveless shirt with a cheongsam collar, a pair of comfortable black Arabian pants, and a pair of brown, cavalier-like, knee high boots. White leather belts hung off the waist of the pants for hanging some inventory items on. I quickly changed into the clothing and called out to Jun.

"Not bad, little sis," he grinned, "Not bad at all. Just watch out for the fangirls."

"Tch. Speak for yourself," I retorted.

I might have to watch out for fangirls, but he shouldn't let his own guard down either. Jun emitted a strong sense of wisdom and maturity, completely what you would expect of someone of his character and accomplishments. His clothing only further emphasized that aura. Underneath a billowing black cape was one of those ancient Chinese robes in white and dark blue with silver trimmings; a single leather belt hung loosely around his waist bearing multiple pouches. His long hair was tied loosely near the shoulder blades, leaving some bangs to frame his face.

If the girls were to stereotype us, Jun would be the romantic, worldly traveler with insatiable wanderlust, seeking for peace, love, and the other virtues. He'll be the poet of their dreams, and every time he passes, a warm spring breeze would blow pass, despite his icy look and name. I, or Ace rather, would be the cold and apathetic prince who has no interest in girls whatsoever. Wanting to escape an arranged marriage to ugly rich hag, I ran away with my mentor and supposed lover, Winter, to find a different destiny and to see the world. We would travel onwards, stopping at no place for more than a few days, and slay numerous monsters —

YEAH… NO.

Actually, it'll be like this. We'd be a pair of bored twin brothers with affluence and influence. The older one is a cold-hearted gentleman who has an extremely soft spot for his brother. He's like the paradigm for all human beings. On the other hand, the little brother is this incompetent 'Ace' who is usually irritable and nonchalant.

"Ace, hello? Ace…ACE!"

"God freaking dammit! What do you want?" I snarled.

"Chill, sis-I mean bro. Man, it's so weird saying 'Ace' instead of 'Xue' and having to keep in mind that you're a guy, not a girl," Jun said.

"Hn."

"What were you spacing out for?"

"Fangirls. Stereotypes. And reality," I stated tonelessly.

"Ah."

"Mhm."

I looked around. There were only rows of trees in our near vicinity. Suddenly something caught my eye: Jun's staff. It was elaborately decorated with silver ornaments and carvings against birch wood. At the top, a single blue orb lay in a silver setting as it emitted a soft dull glow. Why does he get such a cool weapon while I have nothing? I have terrible stats, nonexistent skills, and no weapon. That reminds me, I haven't seen Jun's stats yet.

"Jun."

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your stats?"

"Sure. But just don't do anything weird. System."

Why would I do anything –_ PING!_

I stared at the screen. You're kidding me. You're freaking kidding me. I felt another migraine coming.

Name: Winter

Gender: Male

Level: 7

Race: Elf

Job: Mage

Fame: 0

Health: 500

Strength: 18

Stamina: 21

Speed: 21

Intelligence: 23

Spirit: 20

Wisdom: 23

Charisma: 24

Luck: 20

Special Skills: Morning Glory, Winter Sun

Experience: 1240/2000

My jaw dropped; I turned to Jun.

"How? How did you…?"

He scratched his head. "Well, you see, while you were asleep, I trained a bit and – "

"No. I mean, why are you initial stats so high? You couldn't have gained so much experience and skill points in this little amount of time," I stated calmly.

"X-Xue, you must understand, these stats are chosen randomly."

"Well then, I just have to train, now don't I. You, my darling brother, would have to help me."

"Y-Yes…"

I smiled.

* * *

"Well, there goes the 150th one," I said while wiping the red off the long black blade. I have recently become a warrior and received a lovely blade. The NPC said it was a beautiful katana called "Janus". Against the sunlight, it is a lustrous black, a striking smear of darkness in the light, and in the dark, the midnight opaque of it absorbs all light, glowing a brilliant white, purifying everything. It was light and easy to handle but it was deadly.

"Good job, Ace," Jun complimented as he held up a defense barrier to keep the mob of werewolves at bay while I rested.

My stats have gone up dramatically while fighting mobs after mobs. After obtaining a weapon, I had to choose my occupation. At the centre, the NPC was really annoying. He was commenting on how I should be a cold and merciless warrior since I'm look like a cold and merciless warrior. Seriously, what kind of NPC says that? I swear Rain programmed them to annoy me. But he did give me the sword earlier, which he said would match my supposed personality, and in the end, I did choose to be a warrior.

Fighting with such low stats isn't an easy feat; it actually took a lot of power to help me reach such a level in such a short amount of time. Power, which in this case, isn't mine.

"Yah! Ace, are you done resting yet? I'm running out of mana," Jun complained, clearly exhausted and vexed.

We had been training for about 2 hours straight, exterminating infinite amount of blobs, werewolves, and Yeti-like beasts. By the end of the day, after a 6 hours long extensive and torturous boot camp, I have reached level 6 and my stats, besides fame and charisma, have gone up by a total of 5 each. Jun advanced to level 10. We planned to use today and tomorrow to raise our stats and the day after tomorrow to start exploring the land.

But at the moment, we were just weary and tired. We lied on the forest floor, sprawled in all directions, enjoying the few lingering adrenaline from the battles whilst staring at the endless sky.

"Winter," I started, testing the unfamiliar name.

"Mhm?"

"Let's have fun. I have a good feeling about this game."

"Yeah."

"I'll try to not be so anti-social and uncouth and you'll try not to murder any guy coming my way nor act all enamored with me since I am a guy in the game."

He turned to me and gave a light smirk.

"Can't promise you anything Ace, especially the being smitten with you one, you are irresistibly hot, but I'll try," he teased, "It'll give the girls something to look at too, no?"

Looking back at the sky, I scoffed and he ruffled my hair.

We shared a wistful smile and savored the silence.

"Xue, I have a question. Do you even know why I chase those guys away?"

"You've been doing this for ages, why ask now? Well, it's probably because they'll try to get to you through me or something. You are good-looking, smart, athletic, basically the epitome of perfection," I shrugged.

"Ace, unlike you, I'm a guy in real life," He deadpanned.

"You do have male admirers, you know?" I mused, "Or maybe they're trying to break into the upper echelon?"

"That's not exactly it."

"What then? Tell me! Or maybe because they'll bully me again! That's it, isn't it?"

"Never mind. Pretend I never said anything. As you said before, I've been doing this for years now. Just trust my good intentions and don't question them."

"No! Tell me! You're the one who brought it up!"

"SYSTEM NOTICE: PLAYER 'WINTER' HAS SIGNED OUT!"

_Damn you, Jun. I'll get it out of you one day._

* * *

Xue = Snow

Mei/Mei-mei = Little Sister

**Ok. I'm so sorry for the incredibly late update. I was going to update it during Spring Break but then things got too hectic. But here it is and I hope you enjoyed it. ****If there is anything I need to improve on, please let me know. **Thank you all for the support even though I'm a lazy procrastinator who barely updates. I honestly don't know how you stick around for so long. Thank you thank you. 

**-won**


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